Hitchcock fights for Pratt assets

Lawyers for
Richard Pratt
’s widow argued in Sydney yesterday that four pieces of real estate in NSW should not be made part of his estate, in a court battle with his former mistress, Shari-Lea Hitchcock.

Ms Hitchcock is seeking to make a claim on the property as part of a dispute over Mr Pratt’s substantial estate, which also involves their daughter Paula.

Separate proceedings are under way in Victoria.

Mr Pratt died in April last year aged 74, leaving assets worth $5 billion.

Lawyers for Jeanne Pratt, the executrix of Mr Pratt’s estate, argued that there was no property in NSW, or indeed anywhere, that could be designated part of a notional estate. Although the four properties are situated in NSW, Mr Pratt’s will is being executed in Victoria, where he lived before his death last year.

Much of the legal argument centred on the jurisdictional difficulties arising from the application of various family and succession law statutes across state borders, and whether the NSW Supreme Court should make an order to vary Mr Pratt’s will.

The properties were controlled by companies and trusts connected to Mr Pratt, raising questions of his ability to control those assets in the period leading up to his death.

Lawyers for Ms Hitchcock said they sought to show Mr Pratt was able to exercise real control over the assets in numerous circumstances.

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They also asked Supreme Court judge Paul Brereton to stay an application made by lawyers for Ms Pratt until they are given more time to issue subpoenas for witnesses and accumulate evidence.

Earlier in the year, Ms Pratt admitted in court documents that Mr Pratt had paid another of his mistresses, Madison Ashton, $150,000 and bought her a Mercedes Benz, in a case brought by Ms Ashton regarding the estate.